LOUISVILLE, Ky. — If you were at Waterfront Park for the first night of Kroger's Fest-a-Ville on Thursday, you may have noticed some slight hiccups during the new drone show.
Four drones dropped into the Ohio River after malfunctioning during the performance. A WHAS11 reporter witnessed the drones drift out of formation and fall into the water below.
The drone show is a new addition to Fest-a-Ville with performances scheduled every night until Friday, May 3, according to the Kentucky Derby Festival. Roughly 75-100 drones are featured in three different shows that change each night.
Great Lakes Drone Company, the Michigan-based company that hosted the show, said a small number of drones experienced "battery failure" within the first few minutes of Thursday night's performance.
"While this is a rare occurrence, with our historical data showing a 0.02% failure rate, we are committed to understanding this anomaly and improving our systems," the company said in a statement.
The company said it's taking measures to ensure more drones don't fall out of the sky during upcoming shows.
"Our engineering team is already conducting a thorough investigation to prevent such incidents in the future," the company continued. "We have over 2,000 batteries in our fleet, in which at any time a few can fail as battery technology is still in its infancy of 'smart battery' capabilities."
The company said it has strict safety protocols in place for shows, similar to those used in airshows or pyrotechnic displays, including secure zones to protect audiences in the event of a malfunction.
But battery failures weren't the only issue present during Thursday night's drone show.
A company spokesperson said crews also observed "interference from privately operated drones" during the performance, which they added isn't uncommon.
To avoid potential hazards, the company advised drone enthusiasts to view the show with their equipment from at least a quarter to half a mile away from the performance area.
"Our team is trained to delay or cancel the show if there are safety concerns due to unauthorized drones," they said. "This policy is in place to ensure the safety of everyone involved, so please don't be that drone pilot that makes us cancel the show."
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.